The present invention relates to body supports and binders and, more particularly, to arm and shoulder braces. The present invention is intended to support the shoulder and arm in a manner which is particularly advantageous in certain conditions--namely a stroke or an accident where there is a lack of muscle tone or ligament integrity, or where there is a subluxation or dislocation or some other instability of the shoulder ligaments or muscles resulting from trauma, sprain or strain. In such conditions there may be a hanging-down of the arm such that the weight of the arm itself creates an undesirable stress on the shoulder ligaments and muscles. Accordingly, the present invention is concerned with preventing this weighing-down on the ligaments, supporting tissues and muscles beyond a normal and tolerable amount, while still allowing movement of the shoulder without completely immobilizing the arm, as is the case with a traditional sling. It is also desirable to avoid reliance solely on a sling in that the sling does not totally stop the downward pull of the arm because of its basic function of simply grabbing the forearm and still leaving most of the weight of the arm to overextend the supportive tissue and most of the structures of the shoulder joint itself.
The prior art in the present area is reflected in such patents as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,182,655; 3,548,818; and 3,554,190, all of which may be found within U.S. Class 128, Sub-class 78.
Neither this prior art, or any other known to the Applicant, provides comparable function or value to a patient.